Arsenal want around £25million for Emile Smith Rowe with London rivals Fulham interested in signing him this summer, according to reports.
Smith Rowe has only started three Premier League matches in the last two seasons, dramatically falling down the pecking order under after a superb 2021/22 campaign.
The England midfielder scored 10 goals and made two assists in 33 top-flight appearances in 21/22, with his last goal in the competition coming against Chelsea in April 2022.
He also earned his first senior international cap in November 2021 but has not played for his country since a 28-minute cameo in a friendly against Ivory Coast the following March.
With minutes very hard to come by at , there has been a lot of talk surrounding Smith Rowe s future.
Fulham keen on signing £25m Arsenal outcast
It was reported last week that the 23-year-old is Fulham s priority target in the summer transfer window and Gunners transfer expert Charles Watts reckons he will cost around £25m .
Writing in , Watts admitted that Smith Rowe is expected to leave the Londoners this summer and there is plenty of interest in him, both from clubs in the Premier League and abroad .
📣 TO THE COMMENTS! Should Arsenal cash in on Smith Rowe this summer?
Explaining why a move to Craven Cottage makes sense, Watts said:
Emile Smith Rowe’s future is going to be one of the ongoing stories of the summer at Arsenal. I do expect him to go and I know there is plenty of interest in him, both from clubs in the Premier League and abroad.
His preference, if he does leave Arsenal, is to stay in England and the links to Fulham are certainly interesting. It would tick a lot of boxes for him. It’s a London club, they look to play decent football under Marco Silva and he already knows some players in the squad, such as former Gunners stars Alex Iwobi, Bernd Leno and Willian.
The key thing for Smith Rowe, if he does leave, is that he wants some stability and he wants to start playing regularly again. He’s had three Premier League starts in the last two seasons. For a player of his quality and age, that is simply not enough. The timing just feels right for a move.
I think Arsenal should be looking for at least £25m for him. I know he’s had his injury issues, but he’s young, homegrown and has shown he has the quality to make a big difference in the Premier League. Arsenal need to start showing they can get good value for their players and I think anything under £25m for Smith Rowe would be disappointing business.
Arsenal move for Kudus unlikely Watts
Meanwhile, Watts says Arsenal are unlikely to pursue West Ham winger Mohammed Kudus after being unable to afford his signing from Ajax last summer.
He said:
Mohammed Kudus is another name that can join the quite lengthy ‘ones that got away’ list at Arsenal.
He was a player they liked while he was at Ajax and they were well aware of his availability last summer. But they just did not have the financial capability to make it happen.
